Piano
by Mistress of Darkness
Summary: Thanks to an unexpected friend, Nicol is alive. You'll have to read the prologue; I suck at summaries. Nicol, as well as some Dearka and Mir later.
1. PROLOGUE

Piano

Author: Mistress of Darkness Date: 05/11/05

Prologue

"Athrun, run!" The Blitz Gundam charged at the strike, holding it's spear before it. Kira lifted his sward defensively, and time seemed to slow for a moment as it struck the mid-section of the Blitz. Kira flinched as he felt the sward pierce metal.

"Ath..run..." Nicol gasped as he felt blood rising in his throat. The world through his eyes grew darker, as if a black cloak was closing in from the edges of his vision and blocking out everything. Suddenly all sound disappeared, and he felt himself falling into darkness.

"Ba careful Nicol..." he heard his mothers voice somewhere in the distance. A familiar tune could be heard - someone was playing the piano. That song; it was him playing! Nicol felt a calm peace overcome him. "My...piano..."

Darkness.

Am I dead?

A voice.

Someone is here.

A cool touch.

No, I can't have survived...

- END -

Sorry to make it so short, but I just wanted to set the feel for the story with a prologue. R&R please, tell me what you think thus far. Thankyou,

Mistress of Darkness. 


	2. CAPTURED

Piano

Author: Mistress of Darkness

Date: 05/19/05

CAPTURE

---

A young girl walked out onto the battlefield. Or at least, what had been the battlefield. Bits of metal, some small, others quite large, were strewn across the ground. She paused, looking up at the largest piece of all - a giant metal head with a broken eye; the remains of a destroyed mobile suit. "So...this was the Blitz."

---

He was falling, falling deep into an unending darkness, further and further. Flames rose up all around him; hot, searing, trying to consume him. "No!" he cried in agony as he struggled to break free of the flames, though only darkness waited beyond. Nowhere to go, no way to escape. Helplessness overcame him like a wave. And still the fire burned.

---

A cool hand touched his burning forehead as he cried out in his sleep. He could feel someone there, somewhere beyond this darkness. As suddenly as they had come, the flames died away, leaving him alone in the darkness. "I'm dreaming," he cried bitter tears. The pain had faded, and somewhere there was someone calling. Someone wanted him back.

---

"I'll get you this time!" Dearka fired at the Legged ship, dodging the shots as it fired back at him. The ship slowly toppled and began to plunge toward an island. There Dearka made a fatal mistake.

Letting his guard down for a moment, the ship fired a few last-minute shots at the Buster. "Ahh!" he cried in surprise as he too plunged toward the island. Unable to fully right himself in time, he braced for impact.

The Buster hit the ground and continued to slide backwards. In the cockpit, Dearka banged his shoulder painfully against something. He could feel a sharp pain there, but could not pay it mind. He knew as soon as he'd stopped sliding and looked at his moniters that he was in trouble. He was right in the line of fire of the grounded Legged ship.

Frantically, he struggled with the controls. He needed to move! "Come on!" he said to the Buster, as if it would obey his vocal command. "There's no power," he realized as his power gage dropped to dangerous nothing. "Damn!" he cursed, looking back to the moniter screen.

The Legged ships cannons were locked onto him, and there was no way to avoid them. 'There's no choice' he thought. 'If I don't do something, I'm going to die!' Using his only remaining option, he opened the hatch and stepped into the open, holding his hands up in surrender. Now all her could do was wait

---

Dearka watched nervously as several small vehicles approached from the Legged ship. He waited until they had stopped not far from the Buster before lowering himself to the ground with the wire. Within a few seconds of touching down the EAF soldiers were upon him. He stood quietly as they pulled his arms behind his back and checked him for weaponry, wincing at the pain in his shoulder.

Dearka did his best to remain calm, although he was on the verge of trembling. 'Now what?' he thought desperately. He swallowed and took a deep breath to clear his head. 'Cut it out,' he berated himself. 'This is not the time for a nercous breakdown.'

The EAF soldiers were talking about what to do, and he tuned them back in. "We'll come back for it," one was saying. "Once the ship is mobilized. For now, just get him back to the Archangel."

'Archangel? Is that what they call the Legged ship?' Dearka felt a sudden jab in his back and snapped out of his thoughts. "Move it," the soldier behind him said. Two, one on either side, led him towards one of the vehicles and into the back seat. He felt his head start to spin as the vehicle returned to the ship. He glanced up as they arrived at the ramp. 'It sure looks a lot bigger from here.'

"What's wrong?" the soldier on his left asked with mock-sympathy. "Are you afraid?"

"Hmph," Dearka huffed moodily, some of his attitude returning to him momentarily. "It's not like I've ever done this before," he snapped back. The soldier looked disapprovingly at his tone, and opened his mouth to say something more.

"Leave him be," the soldier on his right said before the other had a chance to retort. Both soldiers, as well as Dearka, remained quiet as the car was driven up the ramp into the ship. He was helped out of the vehicle once it was parked. The hatch was still open, and he could see outside. A sudden huge explosion shook the entire ship and caused all eyes to turn to where a huge fire now burned in the distance. It was unmistakable. Someone had been destroyed.

The EAF soldiers instantly jumped into a frenzy of shouts and motion.

"What was that?"

"Hurry up and get the buster loaded on!"

"We've lost contact with the Strike!"

"There's no signal from Tolle either!"

During the sudden rush of activity, Dearka's presence was partly forgotten. He simply stared at the explosion in the distance. He was too stunned to even bother thinking of escape. 'Who was it?' he thought desperately. 'We already lost Nicol...'

In his surprise and fear for his comrades, he barely noticed the gentle hands on his shoulders. Drowning out all of the noise, he had only the explosion on his mind. 'The Strike...it wasn't Yzak fighting it.' He was gently being turned away, and the hatch was being closed now, blocking his view of the fire. "Athrun..?" Dearka muttered out loud, still to numb to pay attention to anything else.

Finally the doors were fully closed and he could feel the ship moving as it took off again. Sound once again returned, flooding over his mind like a wave as he was snapped back to reality. For the first time it registered that someone was there, and he turned to look at the face of the soldier holding his arms. A taller man with brown hair and dark blue eyes.

"Come on," he repeated gently. "This way." Dearka, too dizzy to resists and too exhausted to care, went with the soldier through a door and into a corridor. The man, seeming to sense Dearka's dizziness, kept a hand on each shoulder to keep him steady as they walked.

Walls were white, floors were white, doors were white. The lack of color was the first thing he noticed. Coming toward them from down the hall were two EAF soldiers. Both parties stopped when they'd reached each other.

"This him Allen?" the taller of the other two asked.

"Yes," replied the brown-haired, blue-eyed man. "This is the Buster's pilot." Dearka glared at the two soldiers.

We've been ordered to take him into holding for now," he said, looking down at the Zaft pilot thoughtfully. "Quite young for a pilot, isn't he?"

"He can't be much older than Yamato," Allen replied with a shrug. They're coordinators, remember?"

"Right...I guess..."

Dearka shifted uneasily, unintentionally bringing their minds back to their task. He was handed off to the other two soldiers, and Allen turned to go back the way they'd come. "Just make sure he gets looked over by a medic," he called back. "Especially his shoulder."

Ahh yes, the dull throbbing of his shoulder blade seemed to intensify as he was reminded of it. "Hey, lets go," the second soldier jabbed at him with his gun. With a sigh, Dearka did as they asked and kept walking.

He stumbled several times; a combination of his bonds and fatigue throwing him off balance. Unlike his former 'assistant' however, neither of the two soldiers bothered to help him.

It seemed like a maze of hallways before he was finally led into a room. It was empty, save for a bench-like bed and a curtained toilet. The first soldier stayed behind Dearka with his gun while the other cut loose his bonds and handed him a bundle of clothing.

"Change into those," ordered the gunman. "You have two minutes." The two men retreated and the door slid shut behind them. Dearka stared after them for a few seconds before moving.

Setting the clothes down on the bench, he shook his head to clear it. "Right..." he mumbled, doing as he was told and unzipping his uniform. As he pulled off the top half of his suit he realized that his left shoulder-blade was sticky with blood. Unable to do anything about it at the moment, he finished changing into the white pants and sleeveless shirt.

The door opened again and the two soldiers re-entered. "You'll stay here for a while," said the first. He picked up Dearka's red uniform, and the two of them left.

Dearka recognized the beeping of an automated lock once the door had closed, and he moved over to the bench. Ignoring the dull throb of his shoulder, and the aching of his head, he sat with his back against the wall, pulled his knees up, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

---

The soft sound of music drifted into the darkness, echoing with each soft beat of the Piano, stirring him from his hollow sleep. The sound was familiar; soothing. Slowly, the darkness began to drift away, releasing him and letting him rise into the light.

He could feel his body, the pain all-too real. He could smell a sweat fragrance, and hear the soft piano that had woken him much more clearly now.

Slowly, with effort, he opened his eyes. It was bright - too bright. The piano stopped, and still-blinded by the sunlight, he could only make out a silhouette standing above him.

"Hey," a girls voice said softly. "Are you feeling alright?" Slowly she came into focus. Long black hair and dark, gentle eyes. Her face was soft, her expression kind. For a few minutes, neither spoke. A hundred things were racing through his head, making everything spin.

"I...I'm alive," he said, hardly more than a whisper. She just smiled softly.

"My name is Ari," she said. "What's yours?"

He hesitated, his mind still reeling. He felt his precious energy leaving him, and darkness once again creeping forward. 'My name is Ari, what's yous?' The question echoed, and as he once again slipped into a deep sleep, he answered. "It's Nicol."

---

- END -

Thanks for the reviews, and sorry I took a while to upload this chapter. I've been busy. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, please R&R! 

Many thanks from,  
Mistress of Darkness 


	3. AWAKEN

Piano

Author: Mistress of Darkness

Date: 05/27/05

AWAKEN

The door slid open and Dearka moaned softly as it stirred him from his sleep. He opened his eyes, seeing someone standing in the doorway of his 'cell'.

"Come on kid," a man's voice said, and with a sight Dearka stood up. The man walked around behind him. "Dammit," he heard the EAF soldier curse when he saw the blood on the back of Dearka's shirt. "Why the hell didn't they say he was hurt?" The soldier set to tying up his hands again. '_Guess they forgot to relay the message,_' Dearka thought spitefully.

'_How long have I been asleep?'_ he wondered, feeling reenergized. His strength had returned, and with it, so had his attitude. He followed the two soldiers back into the hall and down it to a large doorway. When it slid open and they went in, he realized it was a medical wing.

"Is this the ZAFT pilot?" a doctor asked, approaching the three of them from where he'd been writing at a desk.

"Yeah," replied the first soldier. "Can you take a look at him?" Dearka glared moodily at the soldier on his right, who just smirked and shoved him toward a chair, where Dearka, thrown off balance, had no choice but to sit down to keep from falling to the floor. The look of spite that he sent to the EAF soldier was enough to give him shivers.

The door slid open again and Dearka instantly recognized the brown-haired soldier that entered. "Oh hey, Allen," the other EAF soldier said in greeting. "You here to take over?"

Allen and Dearka's eyes locked for a moment. "Yeah," he replied, breaking their stare and moving out of Dearka's range of vision. _'What is with these people?' _The other two EAF soldiers left and the door slid closed behind them.

"Let's have a look," the doctor said, approaching Dearka from behind. He turned his head as much as he could to see the approaching man, but didn't resist. _'There's no point in causing a rucus now,'_ he thought. The doctor pulled the back of his shirt down a bit to look at his shoulder, and Dearka winced as he did so, the blood having dried the shirt against his skin.

"Ouch," the doctor said as he looked over the cut. "That'll need to be disinfected."

"Didn't they get it looked at before?" Allen asked from further back. Dearka still couldn't see him, and he gave up, looking ahead.

"Doesn't look like it," replied the doctor. "It's the first time _I've_ seen him." From where he was, Dearka could hear Allen grumbling some colorful words about some of the EAF soldiers and their lack of consideration for prisoners. He turned sharply when he felt his bonds being untied.

"No funny stuff," the doctor warned, removing the rope and standing up again.

"Of course," Dearka said cockily, smirking.

"You have to take your shirt off." He did as told, and then sat quietly as the doctor set to work.

"Ahh!" Dearka cried out suddenly as he felt his shoulder burn in sudden pain. "Watch it!"

"I told you it needed to be disinfected," the doctor reminded him, once again pressing the cloth against the wound. Dearka hissed in pain, glaring at the wall and waiting for the stinging sensation to die down. Soldiers never cried.

Allen moved back into his sight, and he watched the man with mild interest. "So…what's your name?" Allen asked casually. Dearka hesitated. _'How much should I tell them?' _Allen waited patiently for an answer. The young didn't answer for a moment longer. He hadn't thought about interrogation. "Dearka," he replied finally. "Dearka Elthmen." At least if they found out he was the son of a supreme council member, his exchange might be negotiated quickly. He hoped.

Nicol woke to the sound of running water He opened his eyes slowly, and turned to look at the window, where rain was falling in sheets. It was quiet. That was the first thing that he noticed. Where was he?

He looked around the large room. The far wall had a piano, and other than that and the bed, the only other contents of the room were a wooden chair, a desk, and a small shelf above the desk. He felt himself grow dizzy and closed his eyes for a moment until it had passed. Then his gaze returned to the shelf – and its contents.

It was a golden dragon; ornately designed, with a black gem clasped in the claws of one hand. He focused on the dragon, seeming drawn by it; its black eyes and sharp teeth, detailed body and scales, and upon the small star-shaped jewel it held. So real…like it could come to life.

Nicol jumped slightly as the door opened a crack. A small child peered into the room cautiously, and upon seeing its occupant awake, her face broke into a grin. "Hiya!" she said, coming the rest of the way in. Nicol couldn't help but smile back at her. It had been a long time since he'd seen a baby, and this girl didn't look any older than two. Big green eyes regarded him. Her dark hair, a bluish tinge, was tied back in two buns, and she wore a pink shirt and black pants. He recognized the design of her shirt from somewhere.

"Hey there," he said softly as she came to the bed and put both hands on the side. It hurt to speak loudly, so Nicol opted to whisper. She broke into a fit of giggles. "What's your name?" he asked, once she had quieted down.

"Juby!" she said happily, and he wasn't sure if it was actually her name or not, because a moment later she broke into a stream of incomprehensible baby-talk. He laughed softly at her antics. When he did, another wave of dizziness came, and he closed his eyes to wait for it to pass. He moaned as the pain in his head seemed to double, and reached up to hold his head quickly. The sudden movement also caused his bandaged chest to burn.

"Yata!" came the familiar child's voice, and his eyes snapped open when he felt her hand on his shoulder. Her face was full of worry, as she looked up at him.

"I'm okay," Nicol smiled weakly, though it was more to convince himself. The little girl also looked unconvinced. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway through the open door, and a girl about his own age appeared, holding a tray of food. _'Ari.'_

"You're awake," she said, setting the food down on the desk. "Are you feeling okay?" His pained expression clearly told her otherwise. "Don't worry, you can have another pain-killer in a little bit. You're already maxed out."

The girl was now making her way over to Ari, who picked her up. "This is Jubilee, by the way," she said. "Though I see you've met. She didn't wake you did she?"

Nicol shook his head faintly. "Juby…" he said under his breath, realizing she _had_ told him her name.

Ari smiled and set the little girl down again. "I'm sure you must have a million questions, but for now, you should try to eat something," she said, kneeling down by the bed. "I'm putting the back up, okay?" At his nod, Ari pressed the switch that caused the back of the bed to rise until Nicol was sitting up. Then she pulled over the table (on wheels) to his bed like a hospital table and set his soup on it.

"Thankyou," Nicol said softly, gingerly lifting a spoonful of the warm liquid broth to his lips. As it slid easily down his aching throat, he felt it warm him. "It's good."

Ari smiled and knelt down to watch Juby as she crawled on the floor, having given up on walking and reverted to her preferred form of transportation. "Ari?" Nicol asked after a few minutes, setting his spoon down. "Where are we? I mean, what is this place?"

She smiled, sitting on the floor. "This is an island just north of the Orb mainland. It's actually not far from where…you guys battled."

Nicol's eyes widened with sudden realization. Up until then he had been pushing those thoughts as far from his mind as he could, but now the memories washed over him like a bucket of cold water. "The battle…what about the others?"

"Safe." Ari looked at him reassuringly. "All safe. Although…they _did_ battle again, afterward, and one of your Zaft allies was captured by the Archangel."

"The…Archangel?"

"The Morgonrate Legged ship that you were pursuing," she explained. "It was the Buster's pilot that was captured. And…the Aegis fought the Strike. Both of the mobile suits were pretty-much destroyed when the Aegis self-detonated, but I'm _pretty_ sure both pilots are alright."

"Athrun self-destructed!" Nicol tried to sit up the rest of the way on his own, but fell back weakly when the pain in his chest flared up again.

"Calm down," Ari said from where she sat. "I said both pilots were alright, remember?" Nicol's expression was still one of worry. Ari looked sympathetic for a second, but her expression changed quickly to something that Nicol thought resembled anger. "But I hope that this will end the battle for those two. Athrun…and Kira. It was a cruel twist of fate that put them on opposite sides of this war."

"You…you know Athrun?" When she didn't answer, he tried again with a question that was now nagging at his mind, demanding to be asked. "Ari, who are you? I mean, are you with the Earth Forced? Or Zaft?"

"I'm not with either Zaft or the Earth Forces. And I'm _not_ a member of Orb."

"So then…why did you save me?"

"Because. Because I wanted to, that's why. Would you rather I'd left you to die?"

Nicol turned his gaze back to the window where the rain was still falling outside. He began to eat again after a moment, not answering her question. _'I don't know. I'm dead to them now anyway, aren't I?' _

"There, that's good," the doctor said, patting his shoulder. Dearka grimaced as he did so. '_Pain in the…'_

"Well then," Allen said, retying his hands behind his back. The telephone rang, and the doctor answered it.

"It's for you," he said, handing it to Allen. For a moment, he spoke in hushed tones. Dearka narrowed his other senses, trying to hear what was being said. "So then," the doctor said on his other side, diverting Derka's attention from the phone conversation. "How old are you, Dearka?"

"What's it to you?" he snapped.

The doctor put his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I was just wondering."

"How long do I have to stay on this ship?" he asked moodily. The doctor grinned slyly, looking amused by something. Dearka didn't like that look…

"What's it to you?" the doctor asked mockingly, receiving a haughty glare from the prisoner. "An answer for an answer."

'_Fine, I'll play along,'_ Dearka thought, sighing in frustration. "Okay, fine. I'm seventeen, if you _must_ know. Now how long do I have to stay here?"

The doctor grinned, pleased that he had gotten an answer. "Until we reach Alaska at least. Then you'll probably be moved off of the ship and it'll be up to headquarters what to do with you."

A sudden thought crossed Dearka's mind, and the question was out before he could stop himself. "I…_will_ get to go home eventually, right?" He immediately regretted asking, realizing it probably made him look weak in front of the enemy. The two older men glanced at each other at their captives suttle display of fear.

"Don't worry. Prisoners are treated well, and you're injured too, so…" Dearka just looked at him blankly. "I actually don't know how long they'll want to keep you," Allen admitted. "But your age should help you out as well. You're young enough, they'll be more inclined to release you sooner."

There was a moment of silence, during which Dearka stared at the floor. "You guy's don't _hurt_ prisoners do you?" he asked suddenly, although it was only curiosity this time.

"No," the doctor answered this one. "Don't worry. Violence against prisoners is prohibited."

"Uh…they're sending someone from the command center to moniter him," Allen said to the doctor. "The captain said that he can stay in sick bay for now. You'll be tied up though," he added to Dearka. He just rolled his eyes. _'Damn these ropes.'_

The door slid open and two soldiers, their uniforms white instead of blue, entered. He didn't recognize either. '_Man, how many people do they _have_ on this ship, anyway?'_ he thought, realizing the question was probably stupid. _'I just keep getting handed from one person to the next.' _

He was guided out of the room and further down the hall. Dearka realized they must be going deeper into the ship, because there were a lot more people about down here. Eventually they came to a corridor where many more people lined the sides of the hall. Dearka swallowed nervously, hesitating for a moment. They looked a bit intimidating, and no doubt I was him they'd all be watching.

"Move it," the soldier said, pressing him on from behind. Without any other choice, he continued walking. His fear quickly faded as he was distracted by the annoying 'poker' walking behind him.

"Quit poking me with that thing! I'm injured you know," Dearka said, using what Allen had said earlier about prisoners against them.

"Shut up," the EAF soldier snapped back, but he did lay off.

Dearka glanced at the people along the halls and his eyes caught on a girl. _'What?' _He stopped so sharply the soldiers bumped into him. "Whoa," he said, aware of the surprised looks on the others' faces. The girl was teary-eyed, obviously had been crying. Now it was his turn to be surprised. _'But she _is_ pretty.'_

"You've got at least _one_ cute girl on this ship," he said before he could stop himself. "But what's with the tears?" he mocked, straightening up with a laugh at her bewildered expression. "I'm the one that should be crying here."

They continued walking, and he could see from the corner of his eye as her companion prepared to come after him but was stopped by another soldier. "Stop it Sai!" he heard. "Violence against Prisoner's is prohibited." Dearka chuckled knowingly, glancing back at them once more. He caught sight of the pretty girls face for a second and even in his amusement, he wondered absently what she was doing here. _'Why do they have you here? Soldiers don't cry,' _he told himself. It was an unwritten rule.

'_Damn me and my big mouth.'_ He hoped absently that his comments hadn't hurt her feelings _too _badly. _'Whatever. She _is_ just a natural.'_ Within moments she was completely gone from his mind and he was back to his usual, cocky, self.

END -

Wow, that one was a bit longer, ne? I hope that you're enjoying it so far. I haven't really put too much about Nicol in yet, but don't worry, you'll be seeing a lot more of him soon. Please R&R, thanks!

Mistress of Darkness


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